


Cherry Blossoms in the Winter

by Angel_Kim_Bap



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Developing Friendships, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other, Workplace Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2020-04-24 19:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19179886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angel_Kim_Bap/pseuds/Angel_Kim_Bap
Summary: Seonghwa has been a regular worker at the cafe he runs with his friend, Mingi. After having a very slow couple of days, they decided to hire someone new. They put up a few flyers around their area and a few days later, someone came in to acquire about the position. An hour went past and they officially hired them. A few months after that, Seonghwa came to slowly catch feelings for one of them.





	1. Lunch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello baps ^^ I hope you all enjoy this series. I would appreciate it if you all comment and let me know your thoughts. I can't wait for you to see how the story unfolds :)

"It's been 5 weeks. You think it wouldn't be so hard to get some customers." Mingi rubbed his face in frustration. "You know a lot of people are busy during this time of the year," Seonghwa patted his shoulder. He walked over to the door and opened it, hearing the soft jingle of the tiny bells that hung from the ceiling.

He took a deep breath and smiled. Many small birds and yellow butterflies had made their home amongst the few bushes that were planted around the building. He reached his finger out and touched one of the butterflies, startling it in the process, causing it to fly away. He chuckled and made his way back inside.

Chan-ri was sweeping the floor when he returned. She looked up as he walked past her. They made eye contact for a few seconds. She broke her gaze. He stopped walked and quietly sighed. 'Just give her time,' he thought. He walked back to MIngi and draped his arm over his shoulder.

"How about we close up shop early for lunch? My treat." Mingi gave a small smile and nodded. "That sounds fine by me. Chan-ri, Seonghwa is buying lunch. You want to come with us." Chan-ri didn't stop sweeping. "No thanks. I already brought stuff from home." Mingi and Seonghwa looked at each other and shrugged.

"Ok," said Seonghwa. "We'll see you later." The two of them changed out of their work clothes and walked towards the door. "Make sure no one else comes in while we're out," Mingi called out, before shutting the door. Chan-ri looked up and watched them walk away from the store window, expressionless.


	2. Lips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey baps :) I hope you all are enjoying the series thus far. If you don't mind, leave a comment to let me know what you think. It helps encourage me to keep going cause I want to know if you guys love my writings.

Seonghwa and Mingi walked down a quiet street to their favourite eating spot. Seonghwa opened the door and the two of them walked up to the counter. "Two chocolate crepe cakes and one cappuccino and one Cafe Americano," Mingi told the cashier. Seonghwa had already picked a table for them to sit down at. After Mingi finished the order, he walked over to the table.

"Don't worry about the meal, Seonghwa," he said. "I'll pay for it." Seonghwa looked at him and smiled. "How did you know that I was going to offer to pay for the meal?" Mingi laughed, softly. "I've known you for years. You usually don't want me to pay if we go to lunch." Seonghwa chuckled and nodded. "I guess we have been together for a long time." Mingi looked out the window and sighed. "Yeah. Good friends."

A waiter came and set down their food and drinks. Mingi started eating first, scooping up a piece of the cake with his fork. Seonghwa was about to do the same when he noticed something. Seonghwa set his fork down and looked at the man sitting in front of him. Mingi's eyes were closed as he enjoyed the food. After he finished his cake, he started drinking his coffee.

Every time he swallowed, Seonghwa could see his throat move up and down. Seonghwa's mouth suddenly felt really dry and he grabbed his Americano. He gulped some down and nearly burned his entire tongue since he forgot to blow on it. He yelped in pain and Mingi, noticing what happened, asked the waiter to bring a glass of water.

When the waiter returned, Seonghwa reached out to grab the glass, but Mingi beat him to it. He moved alongside the older man and tilted the glass towards his mouth. Seonghwa opened his mouth and let the cool water wash over his seared tongue. As he drank the water, he kept his eyes on Mingi. Their eyes met and everything stopped.

Mingi noticed that Seonghwa's eyes were looking slightly down and he figured that he was looking at his lips. Seonghwa looked back into his eyes and he nearly choked on his water. Mingi put the glass down and gave him a napkin. Seonghwa wiped his mouth and laughed, nervously. "I'll take my stuff to go. You can pay now. I'll meet you outside."

He quickly walked past Mingi and made his way to the building beside it and sat next to the door to catch his breath. 'What are you doing Seonghwa?' he scolded himself. "You can't be doing this." Seonghwa quietly said to himself. Mingi walked up to him with a box in his hand. Mingi handed it over, not looking at him. "Let's get back to the cafe." He walked ahead and Seonghwa trailed behind him.


	3. Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oooo looks like chan-ri might be hiding something. I wonder what it is... I hope you all are still here and continuing this story with me. Don't forget to leave a comment~ :)

Chan-ri looked up as the two of them walked in. She was taking a quick nap at one of the tables and quickly stood up. "You two are back pretty early. Did something happen?" Mingi looked back at Seonghwa and shook his head. "No. I just wanted to hurry back here so we can clean up everything." Mingi went to the back to change into his work clothes.

Seonghwa placed the box of leftovers on the counter. He looked towards the back and sighed. Chan-ri went back to the table. "Did something upset him," she asked without looking at him. "No. He's just feeling a little tired." Seonghwa picked the box back up and put it in front of Chan-ri. "You can finish the cake. I kinda lost my appetite on the way."

Chan-ri looked at the bag and nodded her head towards him. "I'll eat it well." Seonghwa stood beside her for a moment. Chan-ri looked over at him and took a step away from him. "Chan-ri." She lifted her head up at him. "Do you have something against me?" Chan-ri just shrugged. "You always seem to act cold whenever you see me. Have I upset you or anything?"

Chan-ri was quiet for a bit then gave a small smile. "You haven't done anything wrong. I'm just not fully used to you yet. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable or anything." Seonghwa crossed his arms and frowned slightly. "That's all?" Chan-ri nodded. "Yes. I'm sure I'll get used to you soon." That made Seonghwa smile a little. "Ok. I'll be in the back if you need me."

He made his way to the back. Chan-ri's smile fell as she watched him leave. 'I guess he hasn't noticed yet,' she thought. Seonghwa walked to the changing room and heard water running. 'He must be taking a shower,' he thought. He changed his pants and shed his shirt. He just slipped an arm through when he heard the bathroom door open. Mingi came out in a towel, breathing heavily.

Seonghwa stood in shock. It's not like he hasn't seen him like that before, but with everything that happened earlier, things just seemed different. Mingi walked over to him and looked him over. Mingi's eyes were at his shoes when he said, "You should probably take a shower. You're looking a little worn out." Before Seonghwa could say anything, Mingi grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close. "Yeah. You really need a shower now."


	4. Hidden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drama is slowly starting to unfold. Slowly. Slowly. Hehe it took me a while to write this. I wanted it to be perfect. I hope I'm not pushing anyone to leave a comment. I wouldn't want to make anyone feel obligated to leave one. It would just help me to know that you're still here and you love what I'm putting out. :)

Seonghwa stood, confused. 'Is he really telling me to take a shower right now?' "Yes," Mingi answered, seemingly hearing his thoughts. Mingi let go of his shirt and brushed it in an attempt to rid of the wrinkles he caused. "I'll be drying myself off if you need me." He walked back into the bathroom, leaving the door open. Seonghwa took a minute to process the situation and decided to grab his work clothes and follow Mingi. When he got inside, Mingi was facing the mirror. He had a separate towel in his hand. He roughly moved it across his hair and ran his fingers through it. Seonghwa realised he was staring and moved over to the shower to take off his clothes.

As he removed his shirt, he kept looking back to see if Mingi was watching him. Every time he looked back, Mingi's eyes would make contact with him through the mirror. It made him blush more than he already was. He removed his jeans and turned on the water. It came out cold which made him yelp, causing Mingi to turn around. "Ah. Sorry about the cold water. I didn't want there to be too much steam in here." Seonghwa nodded and let the water heat up some more before stepping under the nozzle. He let out a long sigh. He didn't realize that he was holding his breath. He closed his eyes and let the water wash over him.

He was under the water for 5 minutes before he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over and Mingi was standing beside him. He stood back from the water and wiped it out of his face. "Is something wrong?" Mingi gestured to the body wash. "You forgot you're supposed to get clean." "Oh right." Seonghwa chuckled nervously and lathered up his puff and soaped his body up. He was glad that Mingi looked away. He was curious, however, as to why Mingi was still in the bathroom. When he finished, he turned the water down and got all the soap off. Mingi handed him a towel and Seonghwa wrapped it around his waist.

"I'll be waiting outside." Mingi opened the door and walked back to the lockers. Seonghwa quickly dried himself off and walked after him. Mingi had already put on his work pants and was in the middle of putting on his shirt. Seonghwa got to his locker and quickly did the same. When he finished, he turned around to find Mingi looking at him again. Seonghwa felt a bit bolder and he pulled Mingi in for a quick kiss. Before any of them could do anything further, they heard the changing room door slam open. "Seonghwa! Mingi! You two still down here?" The sound of Chan-ri's voice startled them and Mingi pulled him behind some boxes.

Through a thin crack in the boxes, they saw Chan-ri walk past. "I guess they must've gone out back to check on the herbs on the roof. She walked out the back door and they heard her footsteps disappearing. They both let out a sigh of relief. They look at each other and stifled their laughter, trying not to signal their position. Mingi leaned his shoulder on Seonghwa's and relaxed a bit. Seonghwa looked over at him and lightly touched his own lips. Mingi looked over at him and shifted his neck to look down. Seonghwa leaned his head upwards and kissed him again. He placed his hand behind Mingi's neck and pulled him even closer. Mingi let Seonghwa take control. Their actions were starting to get heated when unbeknownst to them, Chan-ri watched the scene unfold from the window opposite them.


End file.
